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J. T. F. GONTI. I FLUID PRESSURE REGULATOR. .7 Patented Mar. 17, 1896.

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J. T. F. CONTI. I 7 FLUID PRESSURE REGULATOR. No. 556,402." PatentedMar. 17, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES TIBUROE FELIX CONTI, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

FLUID-PRESSURE REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 556,402, dated March17, 1896. Application filed September 9, 1895. Serial r5. 661,910. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES TIBURCE FELIX CONTI, of the city of Paris,France, have in vented Improvements in Fluid-Pressure Regulators, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Pressure-regulators as heretofore used for enabling a gas compressed ata certain pressure to be utilized at another pressure, either fixed orvariable, automatically cut off the communication between the motor andreser voir when the pressure on the motor attains the degree desired,the communication being re -established at each expenditure of thepressure, thus effecting the distribution of the gas at a pressure whichmay be constant or be varied by hand. The apparatus forming the subjectof the present application for Letters Patent has for its object, on thecontrary, to enable the pressure in the interior of a completely-closedchamber to be varied at will without any expenditure of gas. Thus, forexample, the apparatus when applied to compressed-air brakes permits ofvarying by hand the pressure of the air acting on the brakepistons toany desired extent.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a cross-section online 1 2, and Fig. 2 an axial section of the regulator.

The same letters denote like parts in both figures.

The apparatus comprises two valves a a upon the same spindle b andserving to control communication with the chambers c and (1respectively. e is a piston, upon which bears a spring f, which abuts atits other end against a screw-gland g abutting against a cross-head itthrough the nut i and lock-nut j, whereby the initial tension of thespring is regulated. The cross-head h is connected by rods to thecylinder Z, in which fits as a piston the body portion m, the cylinder Zhaving a ring 92, whereby tractive force may be applied to cross-head hby any suitable means. The chamber 0 communicates by a pipe connected to0 with a high-pressure reservoir, and chamber d communicates by passage10 with the receiver in which the pressure is to be regulated, which, inthe present example, would be the brake-cylinders.

The action of the apparatus is as follows: Supposing a certain tractiveforce to be applied to ring a and transmitted to cross-head h, themovement of the latter through a given distance will produce thefollowing effects: The spring f will first move down the piston e andcause the closure of valve a on its seat and cut off the communicationof chamber d with the external air. The continued motion of the pistone, which then carries with it both valves a a causes valve a to opencommunication between chambers c and (1, whereby the reservoir of fluidunder pressure is putin communication with the receiver in which it isdesired to modify the pressure. Immediately the fluid which has passedthrough the valve a into chamber (1 exerts pressure upon piston csuperior to that of spring f the piston rises, valve a is closed by aspring q, and the receiver, the brake-cylinder in the present case,being no longer in communication with the reservoir of compressed air,the pressure in the brake-cylinder will remain constant and equal tothat on the side of the piston 6 next the chamber (1, which is balancedby that of the spring f. If now the cross-head h is retained in a fixedposition, the pressure in the brake-cylinder will remain constantindependently of the tightness of the joints, for should a leakage occurin the brake-cylinder the pressure in chamber 61 will fall, theequilibrium will be disturbed, and piston 6 under the action of spring fwill again open valve a and admit the fluid under pressure from chamber0 until equilibrium is restored.

It will thus be seen that for each position of cross-head it there is acorresponding and different pressure equal to the stress of the spring fon the piston e at that position.

If it be desired to diminish the pressure within the receiver (thepressure within the brake-cylinders in the example under consid eration)it is only necessary to allow the crosshead it to rise to a suitableextent, whereupon the equilibrium on piston 6 being disturbed by thepressure within d exceeding that exerted by the spring f the pistonewill rise and cause valve o to open and allow the escape of air from d,and consequently from the receiver, until the pressure therein againbecomes equal to that of the spring f. Thus by means of the apparatus agiven pressure may be maintained in a closed receiver and may be variedat will by pulling on the ring 72.

The cylinder Z, in which the body portion works as a piston, constitutesa safety appliance when the regulator is applied to airpressure brakes.If the connections with at,

through which the operation of the brake mechanism is controlled, wereto fail, the enginedriver could nevertheless control the brakes byturning on a cock, admitting compressed air through '2' to the cylinderZ, which is thereby moved downward and with it the cross-head h, withthe result above described.

The nuts ij enable the tension of the spring to be regulated tocorrespond to the minimum pressure first required, whereby with the sameapparatus and the same spring difierent variations of pressure may beobtained for the same motion of the cross-head 7t, whatever maybe thepressure of the reservoir. Thus, for example, the pressure may be variedas well from nothing to six kilos as from fifteen to twenty-five kilosby merely regulating the initial tension of the spring.

It is to be understood that this regulator may be applied to all thepurposes for which regulators now in use are employed.

I claim- 1. The herein described double acting pressure-regulator,consisting in the combination of the two chambers e (Z, the one incommunication with the fluid under pressure and the other with thereceiver in which the pressure is to be regulated, the chamber d beingclosed by a piston e uhich balances the regulated pressure, a springbearing upon said piston to move the same, a movable support for saidspring, valves a a connected together and respectively controlling thecommunication between the chambers c d and between chamber cl and theopen air, the opening and closing of said valves being determined by thepiston e, substantially as specified.

2. In the herein-described fluid-pressure regulator, the safetyappliance consisting in the combination, with the regulator propercomprising the chambers 0, cl, valves a a spring-pressed piston e,cross-head h, of the cylinder Z coupled thereto and in whiehthe bodyportion works as a piston under the pressure of fluid admitted to saidcylinder for controlling the regulator in case of use, substantially asspecified.

The herein described double acting pressure-regulator, consisting in thecombination of two chambers 0, (Z, the one in communication with thefluid under pressure and the other with a receiver in which the pressure is to be regulated, the chamber d being closed by a piston whichbalances the regulated pressure, a spring bearing upon said piston tomove the same, means for adjusting the tension on said spring and amovable support therefor, valves (0, a connected together andrespectively controlling the communication between the chambers 0, cl,and between chamber d and the open air, the opening and closing of saidvalves being determined by the piston e, substantially as specified.

The foregoing specification of myimprovcments in fluid-pressureregulators signed by me this Blth day of August, 1895.

JAMES TIBUHCE FELIX COX'II.

lVitnesses CLYDE SHRorsHInE, ALBERT MOREAU.

